Laws and Forms Needed When Hiring a New Employee

Last week we discussed if you should hire an employee or an independent contractor. This week we will discuss the laws and forms you will need when hiring a new employee.

Federal and Wisconsin agencies have rules you must abide by. The main laws for hiring an employee to keep in mind are:

Minimum wage laws

Time off and required leaves

Child labor laws and permits

Overtime rules

Break and lunch period rules

Any OSHA workplace safety rules regulating your industry

Labor law posters outline some of these laws and should be posted in a prominent place where every employee can review them. Some of the Wisconsin labor law posters can be downloaded from the DWD website:

There are also certain items you need to have when hiring your first employee:

Worker compensation insurance needs to be in place the day you hire an employee

You will need a federal EIN#

Register for a WI ID# and an ID# from the WI Dept of Workforce Development-Unemployment division

Upon hiring an employee you will need them to fill out the following new employee hire forms: